1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of conserving and preserving a food product from decay by the action of undesired microorganisms. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for preserving a meat product by inhibiting the growth of undesired microorganisms and includes a preserving compound for applying to a meat product.
For the purpose of the present description the term "inhibiting the growth of microorganisms" should be understood as being the capability of inhibiting, as well as delaying, totally or partially, the growth of microorganisms. The term "meat product" means any foodstuff containing meat, meat based products, meat combined with any other food product or just pure meat. The meat will be any edible meat obtained from slaughtering animals, such as beef, pork meat, lamb meat, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Any kind of meat from slaughtered animals contains microorganisms, some microorganisms are present on the meat surface and within the meat tissue while other microorganisms grow during the slaughtering operations, such as viscera removing, airing, cutting, etc. Although most of the microorganisms are eliminated by washing the meat with water, many microorganism colonies remain in the tissues, particularly in folds, fissures and interfibrillar gaps of the muscle tissues, wherein microorganisms, under favorable biotic conditions, may increase by multiplication and spread into colonies to neighboring areas, thus extending the contamination all over and within the meat mass.
Several techniques are known to be developed, applied and tested in the field of conservation of meat, such as smoking, salting of meat pieces or special cuts, and sterilization by thermal treatment of meat. These techniques are widely used in the meat conserving and preserving industry.
By the above techniques, however, the taste and appearance of the meat products becomes markedly different from the authentic taste. The same occurs with the flavor and even the color of the meat, as compared with these properties in the fresh meat. Some other techniques have been tested in order to obtain meat products having features closer to the genuine flavor and taste of the fresh meat product. Among these methods UV radiation has been used to irradiate the meat. The live animal can also be treated with antibiotics before slaughter in order to avoid and inhibit contamination by of bacteria growth and moss.
The use of chemical solutions has also shown more successful results than the ones above mentioned. These chemical methods have involved the washing of meat with dilute trisodium phosphate (Na.sub.3 PO.sub.4) in solution at 1% and curing of meat with solutions of sodium nitrite/nitrate. Recently, meat has been treated with aqueous solutions of alkaline metal orthophosphates, more precisely sodium orthophosphate (Na.sub.3 PO.sub.4) aqueous solutions having a pH of 11.0-11.5, used as baths or solutions wherein any kind of meat (red meat and white meat) is immersed.
Although some of the above methods and techniques have shown relatively good results, in many cases the flavor, the taste, and the general organoleptic features of the meat are affected. The methods are not as effective as desired and they are expensive.
3. Summary of the Invention
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new method for treating meat and meat products to inhibit the growth of microorganism colonies, particularly bacteria and microscopic moss, which are well known contaminants of meat from slaughtered animals. The method is based on treating the meat with aqueous solutions of alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, the meat being cut in pieces preferably having a thickness not exceeding 6-7 cm. The aqueous solutions of alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid are comercially known as parabens, and indicated as fungicides (Index Merck--Ref: 6021 (1989), and food preservatives).
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for preserving a meat product obtained from slaughtered animals, the meat product being preserved by inhibiting the growth of undesired microorganisms, while the organoleptic features of the product are retained. The method comprises: contacting the meat product with an effective quantity of alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4) esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in aqueous solution, the aqueous solution further containing flour as a film-forming agent, the flour being at least partially dextrinized.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for preserving a meat product obtained from slaughtered animals, the meat product being preserved by inhibiting the growth of undesired microorganisms, while the organoleptic features of the product are retained. The method comprises contacting the meat product with an effective quantity of alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4) esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in aqueous solution, the aqueous solution further containing flour as a film-forming agent, the flour being at least partially dextrinized, the aqueous solution comprising a wetting agent selected from 1,2-propylene glycol and 1,2-butylene glycol.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a preserving compound for a meat product obtained from slaughtered animals, the meat product being preserved by inhibiting the growth of undesired microorganisms, while the organoleptic features of the meat product are retained. The compound comprises: an effective quantity of alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4) esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in aqueous solution, the aqueous solution further containing flour as a film-forming agent, the flour being at least partially dextrinized.
It is also another object of the invention to provide a compound for preserving a meat product obtained from slaughtered animals, the meat product being preserved by inhibiting the growth of undesired microorganisms, while the organoleptic features of the product are retained. The compound comprises an effective quantity of alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4) esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in aqueous solution, the aqueous solution further containing flour as a film-forming agent, the flour being at least partially dextrinized, the aqueous solution further comprising a wetting agent selected from 1,2-propylene glycol and 1,2-butylene glycol.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be better understood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and description.